On the recordFebruary 6, 2017
I know this Nation's values. Many of us study it in the Constitution, and as a senior member of the Judiciary Committee, we review that document on many occasions. We are a nation that stands for principles of democracy; so I am very disturbed by an interview that was given by the White House this weekend that defended Putin--a man who invades to dominate, to kill, a man who supports a despot in Syria who has killed and gassed his own people--and compared his acts to any that the men and women in the United States military or in the United States may have done. It is not comparable to or even equal or even anywhere near the kind of despotism of Russia under Putin. I am offended, and I apologize to the American people for any comparison. I believe it to be appropriate for the White House to clarify and to apologize for suggesting that our values and the efforts we take to protect people who may encounter efforts of war in any way can be compared to Putin, who is, in fact, someone who kills--and kills to dominate, not to help. America is a defender, not an offender. I stand here proudly, supporting the values of the United States of America, a country that believes in the blessings of God and democracy. ____________________
